Half-Life 2 for the PC

Subject: INB280 (Second Year – Second Semester)

Assignment: Game Review (1 of 10) – Narrative Review (2 of 2) – Positive Review

Date: 6/10/09

by Ruben Roszkowski

The original Half-Life was a surprise hit that came out of a developer that had never produced a video game before. Released in 1998 by Valve Software, a company founded by ex-Microsoft employees, Half-Life introduced an unprecedented focus on immersion in the first-person shooter genre. The initial thirty minutes were set aside so the player could explore their surroundings, and to set the scene for an alien invasion that would occur later on. Infamously, the game never seized total control from the player, preferring to temporarily limit freedom. Above all, the narrative was seldom ever spoon-fed. Instead, the player would have to explore and come away with a unique interpretation of the story.

The sequel, arriving to much fanfare in 2004, continued the unobtrusive narrative style of the original Half-Life, despite the addition of two brief non-interactive scenes at the beginning and end of the game. Once again, the player was allowed to explore the initial surroundings for about half an hour before the real action began, though from the very start a (different) alien invasion had already occurred long ago. Little being told directly to the player, Valve used imagery to tell the story. Mysterious soldiers with gas masks and Soviet-era architecture convey a sense of oppression without it being explicitly mentioned.

The narrative’s greater focus on characters compared with the 1998 game had created a problem for Valve’s stance on ‘interactivity being a priority’. Opting to halt the player’s progression until a character finished speaking, but permitting the ability to run around, jump, and look away while being spoken to was unrealistic in context. The player may have wanted to immediately continue the action, but these instances were scripted in such a way that they could not be skipped.

The big challenge for Valve at that point was to find a way to achieve character interaction that made sense (in order to not compromise immersion). The solution was revealed in the Half-Life 2 expansion Episode One through the creation of an AI ‘partner’  to fight alongside the player.

The Half-Life series is the current first-person shooter industry leader of design successfully integrated with storytelling. Though 2K’s 2006 hit Bioshock may have set a new standard of sophistication, the heavy-handed, but easily-avoided, drip-feeding of the story did not guarantee the player to come away with an interpretation.  Other video game developers should look to Valve Software’s model as a guide. Otherwise Valve will leave their competitors in the dust once more.

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Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360

Subject: INB280 (Second Year – Second Semester)

Assignment: Game Review (1 of 10) – Narrative Review (1 of 2) – Negative Review

Date: 6/10/09

by Ruben Roszkowski

Grand Theft Auto IV emerged in a flurry of unprecedented publicity, and was a gaming classic before anybody outside of the developer Rockstar North had even played it. The story in particular, written by Dan Houser (series writer and Rockstar co-founder), was lauded up as the next big step forward for interactive fiction, with supposedly ‘Oscar–caliber’ production values.

The cinematic pretenses were certainly not lost on the final product; Grand Theft Auto IV has several hours of non-interactive crime drama in the form of mission introductory segments. But while there is certainly a persistent feeling that Houser was trying to create his own Godfather in video game form, the fact that the game beats the player around the head with quantity rather than quality remains forever unshakable. If the art of character development was about how many irrelevant tangents one could fit in a single scene in order to build ‘personality’, more modern American comedies would be Academy Award nominees for certain. Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto IV’s many scenes are padded likewise.

At this point it begs the question: why didn’t Houser just submit the script to Hollywood producers instead of making a video game? It’s hardly impressive, but it’s better than the worst movies Hollywood churns out. If I were playing the devil’s advocate, I’d argue that Houser might cynically believe that the video game audience has lesser-standards, but he’d probably argue that the gaming medium offers ‘unique advantages’.

For one, players can build relationships with other characters such as by taking them out for drinks or bowling, which may very well be an example of an ‘emergent narrative’. Unfortunately, the lack of authorship control during these optional shenanigans creates an experience that is dull and lifeless; there really is nothing interesting for the player to do, and the player’s date (whether friendly or intimate) doesn’t ever have much interesting to say. Oh, and let’s not forget the seemingly mandatory-these-days inclusion of ‘morality’ by offering players a choice to kill a ‘good’ character for money, or a ‘bad’ character for supposedly no reward at all. While Grand Theft Auto IV can certainly make the player feel somewhat inclined to make the morally upstanding decision, other than the momentary dilemma, it means absolutely nothing for story, at least, in the long run.

Of special note are the radio programs included that primarily serve as the game’s soundtrack, accompanied by parodies of advertisements and talk shows. While the silly tone was a perfect match with the less-than-serious attitude of the previous games in the series, the inclusion in Grand Theft Auto IV is a little schizophrenic. Ultimately, the same feeling permeates throughout the entire game. Is the game trying to be a gritty crime drama like the film Goodfellas? Or do the comedic quirts put it with crime comedies such as Analyze This? It really tries to be both at the same time, but it just doesn’t work.

Hopefully for the sequel, Rockstar North will remain focused on developing a clear vision rather than trying to cover as much already-treaded ground as possible. Medium anxiety, which often arises from within an unvalued field, should also stop. Video games are a fine and unique form. It is not necessary to imitate cinema in order to garner more respect.

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